What is a Rapid Recovery Facelift?
As with all facial procedures, Dr. Gerut believes that the results of a face lift should look as natural as possible. The best way to judge your surgery is, when you return to your normal life, your casual acquaintances and others who don’t study your face in detail tell you that you look “well-rested” or “much better.” If anyone can tell you had “work done”, or worse, if you do not look like yourself after a face lift, it is not a good result. Dr. Gerut says “No one has yet come into my office seeking to enter the Witness Protection Program!” With rare exceptions, people want to look like themselves after surgery and his techniques are carefully geared toward this end.
Your Consultation Sets the Stage for Beautiful Results
When you visit with Dr. Gerut at his New York plastic surgery practice to discuss your facelift, you may be surprised how much time is dedicated to your consultation. Attention to detail is of the utmost importance in trying to please every patient. Your photographs will be studied and reviewed with you before your surgery. A great deal of consideration will be given to your individual desires. No two faces are the same and, therefore, every surgery should be uniquely different from all others.
How is a Rapid Recovery Facelift Performed?
A full facelift at Dr. Gerut’s NYC practice generally means that face and the neck are treated. The incisions are on both sides of the face beginning at or above the top of the ears, either in the hair or in front of the hairline. The incision then goes in front of the upper ear, then behind the little piece of cartilage known as the tragus, then around the earlobe and then behind the ear in the crease between the ear and head. In some cases it stops there and in others it then crosses the skin behind the ear and goes toward the hair.
There is usually a small incision under the chin to address the hanging neck or double chin problem. Through the small incision under the chin Dr. Gerut lifts the skin and fat from its attachments to the muscle called the platysma. The platysma muscle, which spans the entire neck from chin to clavicles, tends to contract with age. As it shrinks, it forms the shorted distance between the chin and clavicles, which is a straight line, causing the “turkey-neck” stripes in the center of the neck. Muscle shrinkage on the sides pulls fat down from the lower face into the jowl area. These problems are commonly seen with aging changes. Treating these muscle bands and jowls properly gives the neck and jawline a more youthful look. Through the incisions above, around and behind the ear, the loose skin and scalp are lifted to expose the deeper layers surrounding the face muscles. This deeper layer is called the “SMAS” by surgeons. These letters stand for Superficial Muscular Aponeurotic System. This layer is often but not always tightened. When the deeper layers are lifted and pulled back, the cheekbones are often highlighted and the contour of the facial soft tissues are improved. Finally the skin is repositioned upward and backward and the excess trimmed. Whichever parts of your face or which layers are treated, Dr. Gerut will choose the procedure(s) to suit your particular needs.
In conjunction with your face or neck lift Dr. Gerut may recommend some extra procedures such as fat injection, lip plumping or a skin peel. To learn more about these procedures, please go to that section on our web site.